Returning from The Suburbs, Grammy's 2010 album of the year, Arcade Fire seems bent on escaping the mainstream heat and reinforcing a cooler indie brand.

They mostly succeed on Reflektor (*** out of four), the Canadian band's ambitious, dense, patchy and sprawling fourth album, out Oct. 29 and now streaming on YouTube. Many of the 13 songs, spread across two discs, stretch past six minutes. Some lose their bite in the process.

But much of the music — audacious, heavily distorted and bubbling with electronics — sounds magnificently fresh. As the ensemble shape-shifts from the cleaner rock template of The Suburbs and Neon Bible to exotic beat-driven mashups, Arcade owes a debt to David Bowie (who has a brief cameo) and Achtung-era U2. Co-producer James Murphy of defunct LCD Soundsystem also brings his rhythmic chops to the mix in dizzying dance hybrids.